Gaffer: Show me what you can do
COUNTY boss Dave Challinor challenged his squad to “show me what you can do on the pitch”, as his much-changed Hatters side eased into the last sixteen of the FA Trophy with a comfortable win over Larkhall Athletic.
Challinor opted for ten changes to his starting line-up for the visit of eighth-tier Larkhall to Edgeley Park on Saturday, with a rotated side which included the likes of Sam Minihan, John Rooney, Alex Reid and Connor Jennings advancing into the fifth round with a 3-0win, courtesy of a Jennings brace and a Ryan Johnson header.
With the outcome seeming inevitable for much of the second half, there was a subdued feel to Edgeley Park at times – and Challinor hinted at some frustration with his side’s performance, as County breezed to the victory.
“It is job done. It’s a clean sheet which is never easy, and we had good control in the game,” he said. “I would have liked us to be better, and it was pretty frustrating at times – but it wasn’t about us, it was about Larkhall on a big day for them.
“Full credit to them – I’m sure they’ll be disappointed with the goals they’ve conceded, but they came to us and did what we expected them to do. They gave everything for themselves, the supporters and the club and can go away with their heads held high.”
Challinor handed senior debuts to Academy captain Scott Holding, who started at centre-half alongside goalscorer Johnson, and left wing-back Josh Edwards, who came off the bench late on.
The Hatters chief revealed that the duo have been training with the senior squad at Carrington in recent weeks, and explained that more chances will be forthcoming for the highly-rated pair.
“It’s a good opportunity for them,” he said. “To make your debut in front of 3,500 people will be great for them. I’d have liked to have got Josh on earlier, but the game was still slightly in the balance.
“Scott did as we expected he would and can be really happy with how he did.
“They’ve trained with us at Carrington recently, and we’ll be keeping an eye on their progression and looking to get them more opportunities on a regular basis.”
Johnson enjoyed a first start for his new club after joining from EFL side Port Vale last week, and grabbed County’s third in the second half when the left-sided centre-half planted Rooney’s corner home.
Johnson made his Hatters bow late on in last Tuesday night’s 1-4 win at Altrincham, and Challinor believes his new signing – whom he worked with in a successful promotion season at Hartlepool United last year – will only get better at Edgeley Park.
“Ryan did okay. I’d have liked him to have taken more control in terms of situations where they got near our goal, but he will ultimately improve as he spends more time with the group,” he said. “The game was a chance for him to get a feel of the environment and the crowd, and of what we want to do.”
Challinor also laid down the challenge to the side which started against
The Larks to force their way into his National League side.
“It can be difficult for players when you make so many changes, but taking young Scott out of it, all ten of those players who started will think they should be in our side in the league. And the challenge to them is to show me on the pitch.”
Eastleigh were due to visit Edgeley Park in National League action as the Express went to print on Tuesday evening, with County knowing that a win could see them into third in the league standings.
Challinor believes that, should his side continue their upward trajectory under his regime, County will be in a healthy position come the end of the season.
“It will be a different challenge to Larkhall, of course,” he said. “I watched Eastleigh play Halifax last week, and although the game finished 4-0 to Halifax, it wasn’t that type of game. They sat in but conceded a poor goal and that changed their game plan a bit. They’ll come here looking to cause an upset and we’ll have to be at our best.
“For us, we want to be a better version of ourselves with every passing game – if we’re a better version of ourselves than the Altrincham game, we’ll be fine.
“We always motivate ourselves, we know the challenge, and we want to do everything we can to take three points - and that’ll be our agenda.”